Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:

1. Stock futures are steady after S&P 500’s record close Friday

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, December 8, 2021.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

U.S. stock futures rose slightly Monday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq broke two-week losing streaks and had their best weekly performances since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which ended a four-week losing streak, had its best weekly performance since March. The Dow and Nasdaq still have more work to do, but the S&P 500 closed at a record high Friday, rebounding from a stretch of selling that began on Nov. 26. Futures trimmed gains, however, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Monday that at least one patient infected with the omicron Covid variant died in the U.K.

2. Covid deaths in the U.S. near 800,000 as omicron risk watched

UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 4: Hattie Pierce, 75, receives a Pfizer covid-19 vaccine booster shot from Dr. Tiffany Taliaferro at the Safeway on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 4, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

The number of Covid deaths in America is approaching 800,000. According to data from Johns Hopkins University early Monday, U.S. fatalities since the coronavirus was first discovered in late 2019 totaled 797,348. While the delta variant remains the dominant strain in the U.S., contributing to more than 1,200 deaths per day, officials are doubling down on their push to get Americans vaccinated in the face of highly mutated omicron. Covid booster shots provide “optimal care,” White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

3. Fed’s possible faster taper, inflation top week ahead for investors

Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a House Financial Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.

Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images

After Friday’s biggest year-over-year jump in consumer prices in nearly 40 years, inflation will again be the focus for investors as Tuesday brings the latest read on producer prices and the start of the Federal Reserve’s two-day December meeting. The central bank, in its final scheduled policy gathering of the year, is expected to discuss speeding up the end of its bond-buying program. Ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s Fed decision, the latest read on retail sales will be released before the bell that morning. Industrial production figures and weekly jobless claims data …….

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/5-things-to-know-before-the-stock-market-opens-monday-dec-13.html